Converting Roof to Mass - HELP!

[Anonymous]

Hi guys/girls,

I have made a roof as shown in the pictures, but am looking to change it to a mass for the purpose of creating a complex roof beam system to support it. To create the current roof, I simply created the footprint and added individual points, before offsetting each point to a specific height.

Does anyone have a solution for either changing the roof into a mass, easily creating a new mass or somehow creating a complex roof system by using my current roof?

Any help is much appreciated!!

Murray

[barthbradley]

One way you could do it, is by exporting your roof to DWG and importing it back into an in-place mass session. 

[Anonymous]

Hi Bradley,

Thanks for the quick reply! Like this kind of idea? The problem is, how do I turn this into a proper mass? As when placing the DWG file within the mass, then importing directly to the project it simply states that it is only geometry, not a volume of any sort 😞

Thanks again,

Murray

[ToanDN]

Export it to a DWG or SAT and import it back in a conceptual mass family.  Place points snap to the import to reconstruct edges and subsequently, a mass form.

[barthbradley]

@Anonymous, why don't you just build your beam system on your roof faces? You don't need a mass for that. 

[Anonymous]

Hey, thanks for the reply 🙂

I'll have a go at that just now and shall see how I get on.

Appreciate the help!

[Anonymous]

I've watched multiple tutorials and all of them have used mass' in order to create the complex roof systems so just assumed that was the easiest way!

[Alfredo_Medina]

I don't think you need to convert the roof to a mass, if what you want is a roof with a structure. Think of the structure first, then, do the roo (or floor).

• I would use a family in the adaptive template as an auxiliary family to create the framing.
• Then, once the framing is done, I would create a floor, using the "pick support" tool, selecting the structural framing elements.
• To add the slope, select the beams, and edit the elevation at their ends.
• Then, to adjust the floot, use "pick support" again, and if necessary, edit the elevation of the points in the roof.

Something like this:

Here's a view with the floor as a displaced elements to show the relation between the roof and the framing.

[Anonymous]

Hi Alfredo,

This seems like a viable option, however, the roof is curving in multiple directions. 

I had planned on using this tutorial:

http://au.autodesk.com/au-online/classes-on-demand/class-catalog/2012/autodesk-revit-for-architects/...

But it seems like he has used a conceptual mass, then made the roof from the face of the mass... am I right in thinking this?

Thanks again!

[barthbradley]

I LOVE MARCELLO! 

What you're missing is that he's NOT using a mass at all. He uses the mass faces to which he applies a roof (by mass face). If you've got the roof already, you're on the home stretch, my man. 

...my next favorite to Marcello is @Alfredo_Medina. 

[Anonymous]

Hey Bradley,

I agree, they both are unsung heros! Ah right okay, apologies, bit of a newbie to all this stuff haha. Only thing is, he uses a wall as a roof or something in this video? No matter which order I join them in, my roof just cuts through my wall, rather than the way he has it and the way i want it!!

[barthbradley]

Not sure I follow you. Been known to happen though. Ha!

First of all, join orders can be switched. There's a specific tool for this. But, I think you're missing the bigger picture here: the wall is just being used to find an edge that gets created when you join the two geometries. It serves no other purpose. 

If I'm off the mark, let me know. Just trying to extend a hand here. 

[Anonymous]

Haha, I have finally managed it!! I have no idea what was making it cut like that but I woke up this morning, tried again and worked first time! I follow what you mean, the walls are basically being used as a reference in order to give us an option to use that face as a way to draw our curved beams?...

@barthbradley & @Alfredo_Medina, appreciate your help very much!!

Thanks, 

Murray